Mr. Paul Kiely:

Let me make a point of clarification on that question. When cuts were imposed in the past, the clinic would have taken a decision at board level to subvent these services out of private money, other sources of income, that it had available. What happened in the latter couple of years was that the HSE brought in more red tape, especially in relation to staff ceilings. Where the clinic could have and would have replaced individuals who had left out of private funding, as it had done in the past, it was confined by the HSE which stated in a letter to it that if it breached the employment ceiling, the clinic would be fined €750,000.